Roswell Wants Donations To Fund Special Needs Camp Scholarships

The Roswell Recreation and Parks Department will soon offer a summer camp designed for special needs residents in the city and the surrounding area. 

In partnership with the Friends of Roswell Parks, Inc., the city is asking residents to help support its 100 Campaign, a fundraiser designed to create scholarships for participants of Friendship Camp, the summer day camp program for special needs children.

In the North Fulton area, Fulton County Schools currently services approximately 2,400 special needs children in an educational setting, the city said in a press release. 

Roswell’s hope is to create recreational opportunities for this population, many of whom are unable to access programs due to relatively high costs and regional gaps in service, the city added. 

To ensure affordability, scholarships are needed. 

Friendship Camp, set to start in June, will provide a traditional summer camp experience for children across the disability spectrum. 

While municipal camps have been established in the north Fulton County area to serve children with mild cognitive issues, camps have not been established to accommodate those with moderate-to-severe diagnoses. 

Overseen and administered by a professional camp provider that caters to the special needs population, Friendship Camp will provide seven weeks of structured activities focusing on enhancing communication, social interaction and adaptive skills. Each week will be themed and will include music, crafts and outside play activities.

At $360 per week, Friendship Camp fees are four times higher than the city’s traditional camps due to the need for lower staff-to-camper ratios and more extensive management services. 

With the support of the community, Friends of Roswell Parks hopes to raise $14,000 to adjust the cost of the camp to $100 per camper per week, an amount more closely aligned with the fees of the city’s traditional camps. 

The campaign organizers hope the generous people of North Fulton will consider making a meaningful donation of $100 each — less than the average person spends each year on fast food — to help them reach their goal quickly in preparation for the start of the summer camp. 

To make a donation to the 100 Campaign, please make checks payable to the following at the address shown. 

Friends of the Roswell Parks, Inc.
Attention: 100 Campaign
38 Hill Street, Suite 100
Roswell, GA 30075 

For more information, contact the Roswell Recreation Department at 770-641-3950.